Compiled by WEBB C. HAYES, I and WATTP. MARCHMAN

INTRODUCTION

For nearly four months after
Election Day in November, 1877, no one in the United States was sure who would
succeed President Ulysses S. Grant as Chief Executive - Governor Rutherford B.
Hayes, a Republican, of Ohio, or Governor Samuel J. Tilden, a Democrat, of New
York.The uncertainty came from
contradictory reports sent in from four states: Florida, Louisiana, Oregon and
South Carolina.Each had filed two sets
of electoral returns.In such unusual
circumstances, who was to decide which of the contested votes could be counted:
the Senate, which was Republican, or the House, which was Democratic?The matter was critical, and time was of the
essence.All of the electoral votes in
the four contested states were needed by the Republicans for them to win by
just one vote; the Democrats required only one of the doubtful states to secure
a majority.

A special Electoral
Commission of fifteen members - five each chosen from the House, the Senate and
the Supreme Court - was set up by Congress on January 29, 1877, to solve the
problem.The Commission’s decisions could
only be reversed by concurrent action of both houses.On January 31, the Commission’s membership was made public.Young Webb Hayes, who was helping his father
as a secretary, and meantime was following closely the events in Washington,
told the Governor, “In Washington, the bets are [now] five to one that the next
[President] will be Hayes.”

Congress began to canvass the
electoral vote situation on February 1, but the final count did not conclude
until the very early morning hours of March 2, almost at the expiration of the
legislative

session.On February 28, the vote of the last
bitterly contested state - South Carolina - was awarded to the Republican
slate.Governor Hayes now began to feel
confident that his election was imminent, and he started preparing for the trip
to Washington.Meanwhile, on February
20, President Grant had invited the Hayes family to the White House for dinner
on the evening of Saturday, March 3, and to stay there as official guests until
after the inauguration ceremony on Monday noon, March 5.On the 23rd, Governor Hayes
officially accepted the dinner invitation but declined to be a house
guest.

When Hayes and his party
boarded their train in the Columbus depot around noon on March 1, only four
days prior to the inauguration, great political uncertainty still existed.The count was not yet complete, and some of
the Democrats were striving to filibuster beyond Inaugural Day.Threats were made against Hayes’ life should
he even attempt to come to Washington.But this did not deter the Ohioan from his plans.Despite the danger involved, he made up his
mind to travel openly on the regularly scheduled train, following the Pan
Handle route of the Pennsylvania Railroad.One concession though, in the interest of security, was to keep secret
his arrival time in Washington.As an
added precautionary measure, the Pennsylvania Railroad Company dispatched a
single engine ahead of the regularly scheduled train to make sure that no one
had tampered with the tracks.

Because of the intense
pressures upon him from all sides throughout the contested election period of
four months, Governor Hayes was unable to do his normal amount of diary
writing; he made only about a dozen entries in the entire month of February,
and thereafter wrote nothing until the middle of March.The following synthetic document is a
composite record of daily events during the month of March,1877.Based upon contemporary newspaper accounts
and correspondence, it also includes Webb C. Hayes’ brief diary which he
abandoned on March 20, the day the President’s second son became 21 years of
age.

▪Thursday,
March 1, 1877.Columbus, Ohio.Morning. - Governor and
Mrs. Hayes and children, Webb, Fanny and Scott, in open carriages, were
escorted by the Columbus Cadets and the military company of the Agricultural
College, led by the Barracks Bank and a parade of about 500 persons, from the
Governor’s mansion to the depot.

12:55 P. M.Governor
Hayes and family boarded special cars on the regularly scheduled train over the
Pan Handle route to Baltimore and Washington, by way of Newark, Coshocton, Newcomerstown,
Dennison and Steubenville, Ohio; Pittsburgh, Altoona, Marysville and
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; and Baltimore, Maryland, to Washington, D.C.The train consisted of Engine No. 12, John
Rullman, engineer; one baggage car, three Pullman cars, and one Pennsylvania
railroad car, number 120 - a brown colored coach with “Pennsylvania” painted in
big letters on its sides, with “a sort of balcony at the rear.”Two of the cars were furnished by Thomas A.
Scott, President of the Pennsylvania Railroad.

Boarding the train with the
Governor and Mrs. Hayes were relatives, friends and Ohio legislators.Relatives were Mrs. Hayes’ brother, Joseph
T. Webb, of Fremont; General and Mrs. John Grant Mitchell, and daughter; Emily
Hayes Platt and her brother, Rutherford Hayes Platt, of Columbus; Frank Hickok,
son of William C. Hickok; William J. Gilbert, St. Louis, Mo.; and Thomas
Gaylord McKell, Chillicothe, Ohio.

The Governor’s intimate
friends accompanying him included General and Mrs. Ralph P. Buckland, Fremont, Ohio,
his former law partner; Colonel and Mrs. L. C. Weir, and daughter Neva Kate, of
the Governor’s staff; Captain Henry C. Corbin, U.S.A., from the Columbus
Barracks; William Henry Smith, formerly Secretary of State under Governor
Hayes, Emma Foote; Mr. & Mrs. John W. Herron; Mr. & Mrs. George W.
Jones, of Cincinnati; Lieutenant William H. Turner, U.S. Navy; John W. Andrews;
Mr. & Mrs. William K. Rogers; Ex-Governor E. F. Noyes, Columbus; and
General Robert P. Kennedy, Bellefontaine; and others.

Between 30 and 40 members of
the Ohio Legislature were also of the party.These included Charles H. Grosvenor, Athens, Speaker of the House;
Everett Bogaddus, Huron County; James M. Dalzell, Noble County; Thomas J.
McLain, Jr., Chairman, Finance Committee, Trumbull County; John C. Entrekin,
Ross County; and others.

As he boarded the train,
Governor Hayes spoke briefly to the assembled crowd.The band played “Auld Lang Syne” as the train pulled out of the
station.

At Newark, Coshocton,
Dennison and Steubenville, large crowds with bands held demonstrations as the
train reached those places.As the
train headed toward Steubenville, the Governor received and talked with
Attorney General William H. Hunt and Cyrus Bussy, President of the Board of
Trade, of New Orleans, Louisiana; and ex-Congressman John M. Nulta, of
Illinois.

After dark, the train left
Ohio and began the night journey across Pennsylvania.

▪Friday,
March 2.Enroute. - Between 4:30 and 5:00 A. M. at Marysville, near
Harrisburg,

Pennsylvania, the train
stopped to receive a telegram from Secretary of the Interior Zachariah Chandler
to Governor Hayes.Governor Hayes was
awakened by his aide, L. C. Weir, accompanied by James M. Dalzell, and the
telegram read to him.The Secretary
announced that Congress had just completed the electoral count and had declared
Hayes to be the next President of the United States.After receiving the news, the Governor turned over and went back
to sleep.

9:50 A. M. The train
arrived in Washington from Baltimore at the Baltimore and Potomac depot, corner
6th and B streets.It was
raining. Governor Hayes and party were met at the depot by ex-Governor of Ohio
William Dennison, now District Commissioner; Senator John Sherman; General W.
T. Sherman; and about two thousand persons who were curious to see what the new
president looked like.Fifty policemen
were about the depot, under command of Major A.C. Richards, Lieutenant Kelly
and Captain Brock, to keep order if necessary.Governor and Mrs. Hayes and family were taken by carriage to the home of
Senator John Sherman at 1323 K Street, N. W., where they breakfasted, and where
they would remain as guests until the inauguration.Fanny and Scott Hayes, accompanied by General and Mrs. John G.
Mitchell, went to the Ebbitt House, where they had rooms.

Late morning.Governor
Hayes, Senator Sherman and Webb Hayes drove to the Executive Mansion to call on
President Grant.Cabinet members were
assembling and President Grant introduced them and members of his staff to the
President-elect.Governor Hayes has a
conversation with the President for about 20 minutes and their talk concerned
the political situation and the recommendation of the President that Hayes take
the oath of office on Saturday evening, March 3, prior to the day fixed for the
inauguration.This course of action was
urged by the Secretary of State Hamilton Fish.Governor Hayes invited President Grant to remain at the White House
after the inauguration for al long as he remained in Washington, but the
invitation was turned down.

12:30 P. M.Governor
Hayes, Senator Sherman and Webb Hayes left the White House in a carriage for
the Capitol.

1:00 P. M.Arriving
at the Capitol, the Governor’s party was ushered immediately to the Vice
President’s room where they held a conference with Senator T. W. Ferry, Vice
President Pro Tempore.This was
followed by a brief reception of numerous Southern Congressmen including John
H. Reagan, Texas; Ben H. Hill, James H. Blount, andMilton A. Candler, Georgia; and others.Introductions were made by Vice President Ferry.Republican Senators in considerable numbers
also called.The subject discussed with
the Vice President concerned the procedure of taking the oath of office.The Vice President’s suggestion was that, in
view of the circumstances, the oath should be taken prior to the expiration of
the present administration.

2:00 P. M.Governor
Hayes left the Capitol building by carriage and returned to Senator Sherman’s
residence for a reception given by the Senator to the visiting Ohio delegation
of legislators, and many others, which lasted until a late hour.An Illinois delegation also called to see
the President-elect, to support John A. Logan for Secretary of War in the new
Cabinet.

Dinner: Senator Sherman invited a few friends to meet the
President-elect for dinner.Among those
present were Secretary of War James Donald Cameron and Robert G. Ingersoll, of
Illinois.

▪Saturday,
March 3.Senator John Sherman’s. - Governor Hayes received callers most of the day.He wrote in his diary [March 14]: Saturday
and Sunday [I] saw Senators and Representatives and others, and [received] many
suggestions on the Cabinet. [James G.] Blaine urged [William P.] Fry[e].
[Hannibal] Hamlim [of Maine was] much vexed and grieved when I told him I
couldn’t appoint F[rye].Blaine seemed
to claim it, as a condition of good relations with me. [James Donald] Cameron
& [John A.] Logan, greatly urged all day.I told C[ameron] I could not appoint him.Too many of the old Cabinet had good claims to remain, [and] to
recognize one without appointing more than [one] would [not] be advisable. . .
.

Horace V. Redfield,
correspondent for the Cincinnati Commercial, who had accompanied
Governor Hayes in his campaign of 1875, was in the crowd of called.“I went around to pay my respects to
Governor Hayes . . .and found about forty on hand. . . There was a constant
stream of

visitors coming and going. .
. . Who should come in but the entire Louisiana Returning Board - [J. Madison]
Wells, [Thomas C.] Anderson and G[adane] Casanave, and L[ouis] M. Kenner.They had a few moments quiet conversation
with the Governor . . . .When there was a slight opening in the crowd, I paid
my respects . . . and we had a moment’s conversation on the ‘Bill Allen
campaign’ of 1875….”[Cincinnati Commercial, March 5, 1877, p. 5].

Birchard A. Hayes, from
Harvard Law School, and Rutherford P. Hayes, from Cornell, the Governor’s sons,
arrived in Washington this day.

Afternoon.The President
and Mrs. Grant’s personal effects were removed from the White House.

7:00 P. M.State Dinner
at the White House for President-elect and Mrs. Hayes, given by President and
Mrs. Grant.Immediately prior to the
dinner, the oath of office was administered to President-elect Hayes in the Red
Parlor adjacent to the dining room.Present at the brief ceremony were Chief Justice Morrison R. Waite, who
administered the oath to the President-elect; President Grant and one of his
sons.The seating arrangements for the
dinner included President and Mrs. Grant; President-elect and Mrs. Hayes;
Colonel and Mrs. F. D. Grant; Jesse Grant; U. S. Grant, Jr.: and Mr. and Mrs.
Algernon C. Sartoris; Webb C. Hayes; Senator and Mrs. John Sherman; Vice
President-elect William A. Wheeler; General and Mrs. John G. Mitchell; and
Colonel Thomas L. Casey.Other guests
were ex-Postmaster General and Mrs. John A. J. Cresswell; Secretary of the
Treasury and Mrs. George S. Boutwell; Attorney General and Mrs. Alphonso Taft;
Secretary of the Navy and Mrs. George M. Robeson; Postmaster General and Mrs.
James N. Tyner; Secretary of the Interior and Mrs. Zachariah Chandler;
Secretary of War and Mrs. J. Donald Cameron, and Miss Cameron; Mrs. Lot M.
Morrill; Chief Justice and Mrs. Morrison R. Waite; Senator Newton Booth, of
California, and Senator William Sharon, of Nevada.

Following dinner, the Hayes
left the White House for Senator Sherman’s, and the Grants went to the Capitol
to witness, hopefully, the official end of the 44th Congress, which,
however, did not finally adjourn until 12 noon on Sunday, March 4th.

▪Sunday,
March 4.Senator John Sherman’s.Morning. - President and Mrs. Hayes, with Mrs. John Sherman, attended services
at the Foundry Methodist Episcopal Church.Following services, the Hayeses returned to Senator Sherman’s and
remained these the rest of the day.Many senators and representatives called, including Senators James G.
Blaine and Hannibal Hamlin, of Maine.

12:00 noon.The House and
Senate of the 44th Congress adjourned sine die without
passing the essential Army Appropriation Bill.

▪Monday,
March 5.Inauguration Day.Morning. - The day
began with cloudy and cool weather, with indication of rain or snow; air
raw.Military and civic organizations
began taking up lines of march preparing to form a grand inaugural procession
which was to begin at the Washington Circle, and would accompany President
Grant and the incoming President from the White House to the Capitol.

10:00 A. M.In a closed
carriage, President-elect Hayes, accompanied by U. S. District Commissioners
William Dennison and S. L. Phelps, and Congressman James A. Garfield, arrived
at the White House from Senator Sherman’s residence.They were ushered into President Grant’s private parlor, where
President Grant joined them.They
waited here until time to join the procession to the Senate wing of the
Capitol.

10:20 A. M.Vice
President-elect William A. Wheeler arrived at the Executive Mansion in company
with Senator Thomas C. McCreery, member of the committee arrangements, joing
the party in the President’s parlor.

10:30 A. M.Leaving the
Executive Mansion, the Presidential party of six carriages joined the
procession to the Capitol, led by Colonel Fred Grant and Colonel Amos Webster,
in full uniform, on horseback.President Grant’s carriage which contained the President,
President-elect Hayes and Senator Justin S. Morrill, committee on arrangements,
was accompanied by a bodyguard of twelve men in civilian, on foot.

Leading the procession to the
Capitol was a stray dog which had gotten imprisoned in the lane between the two
lines of spectators on the Avenue, adding humor for the spectators.

11:30 A. M.The inaugural
procession from the Executive Mansion began arriving at the Capitol.

12:00 Noon.The senate
galleries were filled.President Grant
with the incoming President waled down the main isle of the chamber,
accompanied by the committee of arrangements.They were escorted by Sergeant-at-Arms John R. French and took seats in
front of the Clerk’s desk, with their backs to the presiding officer.Organization of the Senate began under the
proclamation of President Grant.Senator Thomas W. Ferry was elected President Pro Tempore, and
new senators whose titles to office were uncontested were sworn in.William A. Wheeler, newly elected Vice
President, and President of the Senate, spoke briefly, and was administered the
oath of office as Vice President by Senator Ferry.

Deputy Sergeant-At-Arms James
I. Christie announced the order for groups to proceed to the platform for the
inauguration ceremonies.

12:45 P. M. As
President-elect Hayes reached the inauguration stand there was five minutes of
deafening cheers from the large crowd.Oath of office was administered by Chief Justice Morrison R. Waite,
after which Hayes delivered his inauguration address,, reading from a small
manuscript book.He spoke in a tone
audible to about one-half of those assembled about the Capitol steps.At the conclusion of his speech, cannon
boomed forth a salute, which terminated the exercises.The procession reformed to escort the new President
and ex-President back to the White House, and the procession then broke up
beyond 18th Street.

2:15 P. M.The
Presidential party and escorts arrived back at the White House where all parlor
doors had been opened.Secretary of
Navy and Mrs. George M. Robeson and Secretary of War J. Donald Cameron were
there to receive the incoming President and party.A luncheon, compliments of Mrs. Grant, awaited them in the family
dining room.Present at the luncheon
were President and Mrs. Hayes and daughter Fanny; ex-President and Mrs. Grant,
Colonel and Mrs. Fred Grant, U. S. Grant, Jr., and Jesse Grant; Secretary and
Mrs. George M. Robeson, Secretary of Interior Zachariah Chandler, Secretary of
War J. Donald Cameron; Senator Justin S. Morrill; Colonel and Mrs. Thomas L.
Casey; and the District Commissioners, William Dennison, S. L. Phelps and J. H.
Ketcham; and some others.

The White House was decorated
in flowers, two particular arrangements being outstanding - an eagle
arrangement from S. W. Twombly & Sons, florists, Boston, placed in the
center of the East Room; and a pyramid of flowers in a very large basket.

After luncheon, the Grants
left the White House for the home of Secretary of State and Mrs. Hamilton Fish.

5:00 P. M.Blue Room, The White House.Members of
the Ohio Legislature who had accompanied the President to Washington, called at
the White House to pay their respects.They were soon joined by a host of others, forming a very large crowd.

6:30 P. M.A torchlight
procession assembled at the City Hall.Organized by the Central Republican Committee, the procession included
many bands and was largely supported.

7:40 P. M.The
torchlight procession departed from the City Hall on its route about the city.

9:00 P. M. Willard’s
Hotel.A reception was given to President and Mrs. Hayes by the Columbus
Cadets, under General C. C. Walcutt.The committee of arrangements included ex-Speaker of the Ohio
Legislature George L. Converse, Speaker Charles H. Grosvenor, General William
T. Sherman, Judge William Lawrence, and other well-known Buckeyes.Large crowd.

William K. Rogers, the
President’s former law partner, was appointed the President’s private
secretary.

▪Tuesday,
March 6.The White House.Morning. - Numerous
delegations called upon the President.They came from Pennsylvania - the Fencibles, led by Congressman William
D. Kelly;140 members of the Hartranft
Club of Philadelphia; from Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey,
North Carolina, Tennessee, Wisconsin; and a delegation came from the Senate,
headed by Senator Oliver P. Morton, to announce that the Senate was in
executive session.

Individuals came in large
numbers.These included Frederick
Douglass, to pay his respects and to introduce friends; Senators Henry L. Dawes
and George F. Hoar, Massachusetts; ex-Governor Henry Clay Warmoth, Louisiana;
ex-Congressman Stephen W. Kellog, Connecticut; and many others, some of whose
names were recorded in Webb C. Hayes’ diary.

The President through his
Private Secretary, William K. Rogers, made public the following rules
pertaining to callers at the White House:

1.
On Cabinet days, no visitors will be received except Senators and
Representatives between the hours of 10 A. M. and noon.Callers who come only to pay respects may be
received during these

hours also.

2. On non-Cabinet days, Senators and Representatives may be
received between 10 A. M. and 12 noon, and general visitors, on business, by
card, between 12 noon to 2 P. M.

▪Wednesday,
March 7.Morning. - Among the delegations calling upon the President was one from South
Carolina consisting of ex-Governor B. K. Scott, formerly from Ohio, an old army
comrade of the President’s; Generals Samuel McGowan and Joseph B. Kershaw,
Judge T. J. Mackey and Senator T. J. Robertson, to urge an immediate
recognition of the Wade Hampton government in South Carolina.Another delegation represented some of the
Indian tribes of the Indian Territory, with Colonel William P. Ross of the
Cherokee Nation, spokesman; and Congressman John R. Lynch led a delegation of
black citizens from Mississippi.

Mrs. Hayes gave a reception
in the Library to her former classmates at the Wesleyan Female College at
Cincinnati, including Mrs. Charles Nordhoff.

Ole Bull (Ole Bornemann Bull,
Norwegian violinist) and his wife, stopped at the Willard Hotel, called upon
the President to congratulate him upon his inauguration, and to invite him to a
concert in the evening.The violinist
was accompanied by his manager, Maurice Strakosch, and Prof. Widdows, and were
introduced to the President by Senator Timothy O. Howe.The President and Mrs. Hayes promised to
attend.

Henry B. Banning, of Ohio,
had an interview with the President in regard to an extra session of Congress.

Culver C. Sniffin, private
secretary to President Grant, was confirmed a paymaster in the Army and was
transferred to duty in the War Department.

1:00 P. M.the President
signed his nominations for the Hayes Cabinet and the nominations were placed
before the Senate by Vice President Wheeler, as follows:

William M. Evarts, New York, Secretary of State

John Sherman, Ohio, Secretary of Treasury

George W. McCrary, Iowa, Secretary of War

Richard W. Thompson, Indiana, Secretary of Navy

David M. Key, Tennessee, Postmaster General

Carl Schurz, Missouri, Secretary of Interior

Charles Devens, Massachusetts, Attorney General

2:00 P. M. President’s
Reception for the ladies and gentlemen of the Diplomatic Corps.The President and Mrs. Hayes were assisted
in receiving by the Secretary of War J. Donald Cameron and Miss Cameron;
Secretary of the Navy and Mrs. George M. Robeson; Postmaster General and Mrs.
James N. Tyner; Attorney General and Mrs. Alphonso Taft; Secretary of the
Interior and Mrs. Zachariah Chandler.Presentations were made by Sir Edward Thornton, British Ambassador.

Evening.The President
and Mrs. Hayes were entertained at the dinner given by the Secretary of the
Interior and Mrs. Zachariah Chandler.

The Ole Bull Concert at
Lincoln Hall was attended by President and Mrs. Hayes, who arrive late.The Hall was crowded.The President found in his reserved seat, at
the front, the little daughter of Colonel G. A. Steward; the President held her
in his lap through the evening performance.Appearing with Ole Bull were Tom Karl, tenor; Mlle. Isidore Matiniez,
vocalist; and S. Seigling, piano soloist and accompanist.

▪Thursday,
March 8. 10:00 A. M. - The Columbus Cadets band was received by the
President and Mrs. Hayes in the East Room; the members came to say farewell on
returning to Columbus.General C. C.
Walcutt made introductions.Following
handshaking, the band played “The Sweet By-and-By” as the members departed.

Senators, Representatives and
delegations and others, in large numbers, called upon the President.Congressman Harry White came with a
delegation from Pennsylvania; John H. Gear, a delegation from Iowa; and a
delegation from Louisiana consisting of Governor J. Madison Wells, General T.
C. Anderson, U.S. Marshall John R. G. Pitkin and John Rey.Among the crowd of individuals who came to
see the President were:

Colonel Henry C. Corbin, 24th
Infantry, U.S. Army, was assigned to the President for temporary duty at the
White House.

The President’s son,
Rutherford P. Hayes, returned to Cornell University.

Mrs. Hayes, in the Red
Parlor, entertained Mrs. Oliver P. Morton and a delegation from Indiana, among
them being Mrs. James N. Tyner, Laura Ream (correspondent), Mrs. W. R.
Holloway, Mrs. E. R. Mincar, Mrs. S. M. Parker, Mr. and Mrs. P. E. Studebaker,
Mrs. E. D. Campbell, Mr. and Mrs. M. Trimble, and Miss Dunlap.“I had the good fortune to be present at
a private reception given by Mrs. Hayes to Mrs. Morton,” wrote Miss
Ream.“We were ushered into the Red
Parlor where she received us with the cordiality of an old acquaintance. . . .
She seated us by the windows opening upon the lawn. . . . She has quite original
manners, a frank and pleasant voice and what she says is to the point and well
expressed.”

12:00 Noon.The
White House crowded with callers and the President held a general reception for
a short while in order to give the callers a chance to see him.

3:00 P. M.A delegation
of black ministers was received by the President who came to congratulate him
and to submit a petition supporting the appointment of Sayles J. Bowen as
District Commissioner.

8:30-10:30 P. M.The
President’s Reception for the Army, Navy and Marine Corps at the Executive
Mansion, was held in the Blue Parlor.General W. T. Sherman and Admiral D. D. Porter made the presentations to
the President, and Colonel Thomas L. Casey made introductions to Mrs.
Hayes.Assisting Mrs. Hayes in receiving
were Mrs. William D. Bickham, Mrs. John W. Herron, Miss Emily H. Platt, Miss
Emma Foote, Miss Nannie Jones, Mrs. John G. Mitchell, and Mrs. L. C. Weir,
Attorney General Alphonso Taft was the only member of the Cabinet present.

Webb C. Hayes’ diary: Mr.
Sec’y Chandler; Ex Gov [blank] [were the special callers].In the evening a reception was given to
the Army & Navy and [their] ladies.It was a very brilliant gathering.

Considerable opposition
was manifested to the New Cabinet yesterday [by the Senate] and the nominations
were referred to the appropriate standing committees.This is something very unusual.Finally to avoid trouble in making up these committees, Mr. [John]
Sherman, who was chairman of the old finance committee, was confirmed.No action was taken on the other
nominations.The Press of the country
speak very favorably of the Inaugural [address] and also of the proposed
Cabinet.The South is particularly
pleased.Some Southern papers have said
“Actions speak plainer than words” in referring to the Inaugural.The appointment of Senator [David M.] Key
[of Tennessee] meets this.

John Sherman sent to the
Governor of Ohio his resignation as United States Senator, to take effect
immediately.Due to the continued
illness of Secretary of the Treasury Lot M. Morrill, he proposed to take over
the Department duties at once.

The Senate met in executive
session and committees were appointed.No action, however, was taken on confirming the President’s Cabinet
nominations prior to adjournment at 12:35 P. M.

11:15 A M. Ex-President
U.S. Grant called upon the President to pay his respects, remaining only a few
minutes.

12:00 Noon.Cabinet Meeting.All members
of the old Cabinet were present except Secretary of Treasury Lot M. Morrill who
was represented by Assistant Secretary Charles F. Conant. John Sherman was
qualified as Secretary of the Treasury.

Afternoon.A delegation
from Louisiana had an audience with the President; and Congressman J. H. Rainey
of South Carolina called upon the President with a delegation of black men from
South Carolina.The group included
Robert Smalls, R. H. Cain, Judge Wright of the State Supreme Court, Hon. Wright
of the State Supreme Court, Hon. F. L. Cardoza, State Senator, H. I. Maxwell
and Colonel T. J. Minton; the delegation called to discuss affairs in South
Carolina.

Afternoon: During the afternoon and evening, the President
received congratulations upon the fact that the Government was now fully
organized.“The President,” a
correspondent noted, “was in an excellent humor - in fact, there is almost too
great an exuberance of spirits displayed by Mr. Hayes.”

3:00-5:00 P. M.Mrs. Hayes
held her first Saturday afternoon public reception, in the Blue Room.She was assisted in receiving by Mrs.
William Dennison, Mrs. William K. Rogers, Miss Emily Hayes Platt, Miss Emma
Foote; and presentations were made to Mrs. Hayes by Colonel Thomas L.
Casey.Colonel Henry C. Corbin made the
presentations to the President.The
social correspondents said of this first public reception: “There was too dense
a crowd for it to be enjoyable.” [Raymonde].“Equalled Mrs. Grant’s last reception.Largest [crowd] ever seen in the White House by daylight. . .
.Crowd was made up of non-residents. . . .” [Miss Grundy].

Evening: Mrs. Hayes received social callers in the Library, and
these included Chief Justice Morrison R. Waite, George Bancroft, Senator John
B. Gordon, General and Mrs. James A. Garfield with Miss Caroline L. Ransom,
artist, Mrs. Thomas J. McLain, Jr., and Mrs. Frank H. Mason.The ladies were all from Ohio and friends of
Mrs. Hayes.Assisting Mrs. Hayes were
Miss Emily H. Platt and Mrs. William K. Rogers.

President Hayes was occupied
with a Southern delegation for a part of the evening.

James A. Garfield’s diary: At
6 p.m. Crete, Mother and I dined at Mrs. [Thomas J.] McLain’s with Mrs. [Frank H.]
Mason (nee Birchard) and Miss [Caroline L.] Ransom.At half-past, I took the ladies to the Executive Mansion, and
made a long call on Mrs. Hayes and the President.When the visitors thinned out, I had a full and free talk with
the President on the Senatorship.He is
very anxious to have me stay in the House and I agreed to do so.He wrote me a letter which I am at liberty
to publish, asking me to stay.We
returned home at half-past ten, having had a very pleasant visit.Mrs. Mason found that she and the President
were relatives.Her father [Matthew
Birchard] and the President’s mother were second cousins.

Webb C. Hayes’ diary: Mr.
& Mrs. John W. Herron of Cincinnati, who came on with our party from Ohio,
left this morning for home via New York City.They are as pleasant and lovable people as I have ever had the pleasure
of meeting.Mrs. Herron or Aunt Harriet
charmed everyone by her beautiful face and pleasing manners.

▪Sunday,
March 11.9:00 A. M. - The President, accompanied by a friend, took a long walk in the
suburbs, returning to the White House after 10 o’clock.

10:30 A. M.The President
walked to church services at the Foundry Methodist Episcopal Church, accompanied
by Mrs. Hayes, Emma Foote, Emily H. Platt, Webb C. Hayes,John W. Andrews and Colonel Henry C.
Corbin.Every pew was filled, although
it was not generally known which church the President would attend.The President and party were shown to
unoccupied seats near the front of the church.Services were conducted by the Reverend Dr. James A. Duncan, President
of Randolph-Macon College, Macon, Georgia.

Afternoon: Accompanied by his son Webb, Secretary John Sherman
and Colonel Robert G. Ingersoll, the President took a short ride about the
city, making some calls, and returning to the White House about 4:00 P.M.

6:00 P. M.Family dinner.Vice President William A. Wheeler, John Sherman and Colonel
Robert G. Ingersoll joined the Hayes family at dinner, and remained until about
8:00 o’clock.

Evening: Social callers were received by Mrs. Hayes, among
them Mrs. Morrison R. Waite and Miss Waite and Mr. & Mrs. Samuel M.
Young.The President received a number
of Southern gentlemen including Senators John B. Gordon, of Georgia and L. Q.
C. Lamar, of Mississippi; Congressman Robert L. Gibson, of Louisiana, who came
to urge the President to withdraw the troops from the state houses in Louisiana
and South Carolina.The subject was
discussed freely and candidly.

▪Monday,
March 12.9:00-10:00 A. M. - None of the large number of visitors to the White
House were received by the President until after the Cabinet meeting.Mrs. Hayes received a number of ladies in
the Red Parlor, including Mrs. J. W. Green, of Virginia; Miss Grouveneur, Miss
Neil, Mrs. George Crook and Miss M. F. Wade.

10:00-12:00.Cabinet Meeting.All new
members of the Cabinet were present except Secretary of Navy Richard W.
Thompson.Prior to assembling, the oath
of office was administered before Justice David K. Cartter, Chief Justice of
the District, to all Cabinet members present except John Sherman, Secretary of
Treasury, who had been sworn.The
Cabinet considered the Southern situation and proposed Southern policy of the
President.President Hayes stated that
it was his wish that the situation remain in statu quo until a thorough
investigation could be made of the whole situation.Civil service should be conducted upon the basis of President
Hayes’ letter of acceptance and inaugural address, the Cabinet agreed.A committee of two, Messrs. Evarts and
Shurz, was appointed to draft a set of rules applicable to civil service
appointments and report to the Cabinet on Wednesday.

12:00 Noon.Senator
Richard J. Oglesby, Illinois, had an interview with the President which lasted
“some time;” and Senator John A. Logan, Illinois, also was closeted with the
President for a time.

12:30 P.M.Blue Room.The Chief Justice and
Associate Justices of the United States Supreme Court called to pay respects to
the President, all in attendance except Justice Stephen J. Field, absent in New
York City.Introductions were made by
Chief Justice Morrison R. Waite.Accompanying the justices were Senator David Davis of Illinois and D. W.
Middleton, clerk and marshal of the Court.

The Justices of the United
States Court of Claims were next to be recieved by the President, and
introductions were made by Chief Justice Charles D. Drake.

Afternoon.The
White House waiting room was filled with over 100 office seekers, delegations
and individuals, many becoming impatient.The President received a few individuals, then held a sort of public
reception for the balance.A “basket
full of applications” were pressed upon the President from Senator Oliver P.
Morgan, of Indiana, whose carriage stood in front of the White House.President Hayes excused himself and entered
the carriage of the crippled statesman for several minutes.

2:00 P.M.Several
delegations were received by the President including one from the District;
black citizens from Richmond, Virginia; British Settler’s Association from
Virginia; ex-officers of Meager’s Irish Brigade; and many individuals.

Evening.Social
callers pressed themselves upon President and Mrs. Hayes in large numbers.

Webb C. Hayes’ diary: Congressmen
with Recom[mendatins] and Office Seekers in large numbers.

▪Tuesday,
March 13.Morning: - Senators and Representatives in large numbers came to
see the President, crowds as large as on any day since the new President
entered the White House.There were
also delegations from Mississippi, Louisiana, South Carolina, and the Pacific
Coast.At 10:30, Richard W. Thompson,
the new Secretary of Navy, accompanied by retiring Secretary George M. Robeson,
arrived as the White House and were joined there by Senator Olive P. Morton.The President received the three in the Red
Parlor and presented a commission to Secretary Thompson.The oath of office had been taken before
Judge David K. Cartter Monday evening.

10:00 A. M.Cabinet Meeting.Postponed to Wednesday.

The President through Private
Secretary W. K. Rogers, sent to the Senate his nominations of several office
holders whose terms had or were expiring.All were confirmed.The
nomination of William Stone of South Carolina to be United States Attorney for
that state was not confirmed.

Luncheon.Guests with
the President were George A. Sheridan of Louisiana; C. C. Fulton, of Maryland;
and William A. Howard, of Michigan.

1:30 P.M.Those
remaining to see the President were received briefly, to shake hands, and then
the President left the White House by the rear for a drive with George Jones of
the New York Times.

Afternoon: Mrs. Zachariah Chandler, Mrs. Justice Samuel F.
Miller, Mrs. A. H. Markland and Mrs. H. C. Parsons, among others, were received
by Mrs. Hayes.Later, the First Lady
accompanied by her daughter Fanny and Emily H. Platt, took a drive in a
carriage and upon their return dined with guests who had been with the Hayeses
since their arrival in Washington.

Evening: Senator Benjamin H. Hill, Georgia, had a lengthy talk
with the President, and while he was at the White House, the President also
granted an audience with ex-Senator J. M. Harvey, Kansas, General M. C. Butler,
S. C., and ex-Lieutenant Governor Davidson B. Penn, Louisiana.

Thomas F. Pendle, White House
usher, remarked to a reporter “The last two nights beat anything in the way of
social calls I ever saw, and I have been here for thirteen years.”

Webb C. Hayes’ diary: A
great many Congressmen called today, also quite a large number of Office
Seekers.A large Va. delegation called
to pay respects and to endorse the [Southern] “policy”.Senator Simon Cameron resigned[,] being very
old 78 yrs and also not fully in accord with the Southern policy.His son J. Don[ald] Cameron[,] late Sec’y of
War was nominated in the caucus of Penna Rep[ublican] Legislators today and the
“Policy” endorsed.

Gen. Geo. A. Sheridan of
La.; the Editor of the Baltimore American Mr. [C. C. Fulton], and Hon. [Willima
A.] Howard of Mich. took lunch with us today.In the Evening Mr. Chief Justice Waite, Senator D. Davis, Col. Bob Ingersoll,
wife, daughters & Bro[ther Ebon Clark Ingersoll, a lawyer], and M. C. Who
served with father.Senator Bill Hill
of Ga., Hamburg Massacre [M. C.] Butler [of S.C.], Ex[-Lieutenent] Gov[Davidson
B.] Penn of La. Called in the evening.Mr. Geo Jones of the New York Times took a drive with father.

▪Wednesday,
March 14.Morning. - No callers without appointment were admitted to the President’s
office in anticipation of a Cabinet meeting.Those seeing the President included all members of the Cabinet except
Secretary of State Evarts; Senators Aaron A. Sargent, California, and Henry L.
Dawes, Massachusetts; and James A. Garfield, Ohio, S. S. Cox, New York, William
A. Wallace, Pennsylvania, and E. John Ellis, Louisiana, met with the President
prior to 11:00 o’clock.Ex-Secretary J.
Donald Cameron called, interrupting a talk between the President and Carl
Schurz.Numerous delegations also
called.

The President sent to the
Senate by his Private Secretary, 27 nominations, 25 being re-appointments.All but three of the nominations were approved.

10:00 A. M.Cabinet
meeting postponed due to absence of Secretary of State William M. Evarts.

1:00 P. M. - 4:00 P.
M.The doors were opened to all in the waiting room to see and shake hands
with the President.

4:00 P. M. The President
with his son Webb called upon James A. Garfield.Garfield wrote in his diary: At 4:00 o’clock the President and
his son called to see me and spent half to three quarters of an hour.He said he was greatly embarrassed by the
fact that there was a thousand offices to fill in the course of two weeks and
it was impossible for him to make good appointments in such a hurry.He proposed to fill only those which are now
vacant and would get the Senate to adjourn and let the rest go until he could
take his time. . . .He expressed great interest in the Senatorship from Ohio,
saying he did not want an unexperienced person like [W. Perry] Howland nor a
hostile one like [Alphonso] Taft, and did not know but I had better be a
candidate.I told him it was too late,
I could not consent.

5:00-6:00 P. M.Cabinet meeting.All present, including
Vice President Wheeler.The Southern
question was only briefly discussed.The President has received positive assurance from conservatives in
Louisiana and South Carolina that no outbreaks of violence would occur and that
the rights of all citizens would be protected if troops are immediately
withdrawn.Most of the meeting
concerned which appointments filling vacancies could be filled during the
recess of Congress; and civil service reform matters.Ex-Postmaster General James N. Tyner, it was announced, had
decided to accept the position of First Assistant Postmaster General, and that
Frederick Douglass would accept the office of United States Marshal for the
District of Columbia.

7:00-8:00 P. M.Blue Room.The Hutchinson family singing
group – Mr. and Mrs. John Hutchinson, Mrs. Fannie B. Hutchinson and young sons
Jackson, with E. G. And D. D. Hughes – gave a vocal concert for President and
Mrs. Hayes and guests.Their songs
included “The Good Old Days of Yore;” “One Hundred Years Hence;” “Freedman’s
Song;” “The Blue and the Gray;” and “The Good Time Coming.”

7:00-10:00 P. M.Cabinet meeting.The meeting was called
for 7 P.M. and Secretaries Schurz and Thompson and Postmaster General Key
arrived shortly after that hour.Other
members did not arrive until much later, having been at a dinner given by
Senator George F. Hoar at Wormsleys.

President Hayes wrote in his
diary: The chief disappointment among the influential men of the party [over
the Cabinet selection] was with [Roscoe] Conkling, [James G.] Blain, [Simon]
Cameron, [John A.] Logan and their followers.They were very bitter.The
opposition was chiefly to Evarts, Key, and especially Schurz.Speeches were made, and an attempt to
combine with the Democrats to defeat the confirmation of the nominations only
failed to be formidable by [reason of] the resolute support of the southern
Senators like [John B.] Gordon, [Georgia], [L. Q. C.] Lamar, [Louisiana], and
[Benjamin H.]Hill, [Georgia].After a
few days the public opinion of the country was shown by the press to be
strongly with me.All of the
nominations were confirmed by almost a unanimous vote.

The expressionsof satisfaction from all parts of the country are
most gratifying.The press and the
private correspondence of [William K.] Rogers [private secretary] and myself
are full of it.

My policy is trust, peace,
and to put aside the bayonet.I do not
think the wise policy is to decide contested elections in the States, by the
use of the national army.

The President sent to the
Senate by his Private Secretary, nominations of 26 persons for government
positions, including Fred Douglass for District Marshal.Two nominations were not confirmed.

12:30 P. M.All
remaining in the White House waiting room were admitted to the President’s
office to pay their respects only.

12:50 P. M.The
President retired briefly to rest before the Cabinet meeting.

1:00 P. M.Cabinet meeting.The matter
of appointments occupied most of the meeting.

Afternoon.Mrs.
Hayes received numerous social callers among them being General and Mrs. W.
McKee Dunn, Mr. and Mrs. Edwin L. Stanton, and Mrs. Henry C. Corbin.

4:30 P. M.The
President and Mrs. Hayes accompanied by Webb took a carriage ride in the
suburbs of Washington for about an hour.

9:00 P. M.John
W. Andrews, guest of President and Mrs. Hayes since the inauguration departed
for Columbus.

Evening.Among
those having appointments with the President during the evening were Senator
John B. Gordon, Georgia, Governor William Pitt Kellogg and Judge John Edwards
Leonard, Louisiana, all having separate talks.

Webb C. Hayes’ diary: We
feel some anxiety about the result of the Senatorial contest in Ohio.We still think that Judge [Stanley] Matthews
will be successful.

▪Friday,
March 16.9:30 A. M. – Several delegations called, one of the District
business men urging the appointment of Sayles J. Bowen as District
Commissioner.

Following the Cabinet
meetings no callers were received.The
President, Mrs. Hayes, Webb Hayes and Emily H. Platt, took a long carriage
ride.

Evening: Callers, by appointment, upon the President included
John D. Defrees and George S. Smith; Senator Stephen W. Dorsey, Arkansas, and
Professor J. M. Langston, who had a long conference with the President.

The President wrote in his
diary: Stanley Matthews was yesterday night nominated for Senator at
Columbus.This is an endorsement of the
policy of peace and home rule – of local self-government.A number of Southern Republican members are
reported to go over to the Democrats.On the other hand, the bar of this District [of Columbia] are in a state
of mind because of Fred.Douglass, the
most distinguished and able colored man in the Nation, has been nominated
marshal for the District.If a liberal
policy toward the late Rebels is adopted, the ultra Republicans are opposed to
it; if the colored people are honored, the extremists of the other wing cry out
against it.I suspect I am right in
both cases.

Different plans for La. & S. C. are offered:

1.A new election.

2.Lawful action of Legislation

3.Acknowledge [S. B.] Packard and [D. H.]
Chamberlain, and leave them to their own state remedies.

4.Withdraw troops and leave events to take
care of themselves.

Here I am too crowded with
business to give thought to these questions.Let me get a few outside opinions; Judge [William M.] Dickson [of
Cincinnati, Ohio].

Webb C. Hayes’ diary: Last
evening we heard the good news that Judge [Stanley] Matthews had been nominated
for Senator on the 3d ballot. The vote
stood Matthews 43, [W. Perry] Howland 29, [Samuel] Shellabarger 8 and old
father [Alphonso] Taft 2.

Howland is a
Representative in the Legislature from Ashtabula.He received Gen. Garfield’s support.Howland is a very promising lawyer and would have succeeded
Garfield in the House [of] Rep[resentatives] if Garfield had been elected
Senator.Howland’s vote was
complimentary and to bring him out as a candidate for Governor this fall.Mr. Shellabarger is one of the ablest men in
the State and next to Matthews was father’s choice.The N. Y. papers all recognize Matthew’s election as an
endorsement of father’s Southern Policy.

▪Saturday,
March 17.Morning – “St. Patrick’s Day in the morning,” wrote R. B. Hayes.“We had a turn of winter . . .” [Fay].“Keen wind and frequent snow-showers. . . .
We seem to be in mid-winter again.” [Miss Grundy].“The day was ushered in by a violent storm
of snow and hail, despite which various Irish societies met and paraded,
plodding through slush and cold to the tunes of ‘The Wearing of the Green’ and
‘Erin go Bragh.’” [Raymonde].Marshals of the St. Patrick’s Day parade requested the President to
review the parade which he did from the White House.Numerous callers came to see the President.

Two nominations were sent by
the President to the Senate by W. K. Rogers, and both were confirmed.The Senate adjourned sine die at 4:03
P. M., ending the special session called by President Grant which convened
March 5th.

An old man named Springer,
the sixth person who came to Washington to be inaugurated President, was sent
to the insane asylum.

12:00-1:00 P. M.The
President’s office doors were opened to all for nearly an hour for handshaking.

1:00 P. M.Among
delegations received by the President was a group of business men from the
District recommending appointments.

Afternoon.Judge
M. W. Gibbs, of Arkansas, black elector-at-large on the Republican ticket, had
a lengthy conference with the President.

3:00-5:00 P. M.Mrs.
Hayes’ Saturday afternoon public reception, was held in the Blue Room.Mrs. Hayes was assisted in receiving by Mrs.
John Sherman, Mrs. George W. McCrary, Emily Hayes Platt, Emma Foote, Mrs. Henry
C. Corbin and Miss Mary Frances Waite.Many senators following adjournment of the Senate, called to pay
respects to Mrs. Hayes prior to leaving Washington.

Webb C. Hayes’ diary: Mr.
C. C. Sniffen late Ass’t. [to the President] and now a Major in Pay M[aster]
Dep[artmen] and detailed for the Exec[utive] Office has purchased [for the
President] a “Landau” [carriage] of Brewster & Co of N.Y. City for $1150.00
and a pair of horses for $900.00.We
expect them next week.Yesterday father
sent in a great many nominations and also sent word to the Senate that he had
no further business with them.Hon.
Frederick douglas was nominated and after some opposition and considerable
“talk”, confirmed as Marshal of the District of Columbia.

From 3 to 5 P. M. Father
and Mother held a general reception in the Blue Room.It has been a very stormy day raining and snowing.I introduced the multitude to Father and
Col. [Thomas L.] Casey to Mother.Mother was assisted by Mrs. Sec’y Sherman, Mrs. Sec’y McCrary, Miss
Waite & friend & Cousin Emily Platt and Miss Emma Foote.

Miss [blank] of New Jersey
in Blumer [sic] costume caused a slight sensation.

▪Sunday,
March 18.Morning.– A quiet day at the White
House.The President received very few
of those who called.

The President, Mrs. Hayes,
Webb Hayes and guests walked to the Foundry Methodist Episcopal Church to
attend services and occupied a pew reserved for them.The church was filled.The minister, Reverend B. Peyton Brown delivered the sermon.

Afternoon: Senator John B. Gordon, Georgia, consulted with the
President in regard to Louisiana affairs.

Frederick Douglass was
qualified and U. S. Marshal for the District of Columbia and took charge of the
office.

Evening: The White House parlors were thronged with visitors,
carriages kept rolling up to the broad portico until a late hour.Among those received were ex-Senator Joseph
Smith Fowler, Tennessee, with a party of Southern gentlemen.

▪Tuesday,
March 20.Morning. – Many callers presented themselves at the White House but only
Representative-elect John Turner Waite, New London, Connecticut, saw the
President, by appointment.

10:00-1:30 P. M.Cabinet meeting.All members were
present.Decision was reached to send a
commission to Louisiana to investigate the situation there.

After the meeting, the
President and Vice President Wheeler took a short carriage ride together to
discuss the Louisiana question, and the Vice President remained as a guest at
dinner.

Afternoon.Numerous
delegations were received, including a large delegation of German citizens, to
discuss German participation in government.

Mrs. Hayes entertained social
callers in the Red Parlor.

Webb C. Hayes’ diary: Today
I am “a man.”Whereupon, he ceased
making entries in his diary.He
received suitable presents from the family and from W. K. Rogers.At dinner, a birthday cake was placed on the
table surrounded by 21 candles which were lighted and kept burning until
midnight.

The President recorded in his
diary: Webb was twenty-one today.Vice-President Wheeler, Arthur Stem, Emily Platt, and Emma Foote dined
with us.An extra dinner got up by the
new steward.

Cabinet meeting at 10 A.
M. All present.Consider an extra
session. [The 44th
Congress had failed to pass the Army Appropriation Bill for the fiscal year
beginning July 1].Mr. Evarts and
others opposed it on the grounds of expediency; but Sherman, McCrary, and
Devens found legal objections to all plans for raising and disbursing money
without appropriations.General opinion
against attempt to get on without an extra session.No decision; subject passed.

Louisiana troubles
discussed.All but Devens seemed
indisposed to use force to uphold [Governor S. B.] Packard’s government, and
his in not decidedly for it.All
finally agreed to send a commission to Louisiana.Mr. Vice-President Wheeler, Judge David Davis, and Hoar [E. R.]
agreed upon, and Governor [John C.] Brown, of Tennessee, and [Blanche K] Bruce,
and K[enneth] Rayner [of North Carolina] suggested for the other two.

Mr. Evarts is of opinion
that the military can’t be used to sustain one government against another in
case of contested elections.The States
must take care of those matters themselves.

I incline to think that
people will not now sustain the policy of upholding a State Government against
a rival government, by the use of forces of the United States.If this leads to the overthrow of the de jure government in a State, the de facto government
must be recognized.

▪Wednesday,
March 21. Morning. – Senator, representatives and delegations called upon
the President.The President
reappointed a number of postmasters in Massachusetts and Minnesota whose terms
were expiring.

10:00-2:00 P. M.Special meeting of the Cabinet.The
proposed commission to Louisiana was considered, before taking any action
toward withdrawing troops from the State House there.

Frederick Douglass called
with a delegation of black leaders to discuss appointments with the President.

3:00 P. M.The
White House was closed to public callers.

The music committee of the
Republican Congressional Committee accompanied by the children of the Soldiers’
and Sailors’ Orphans Home and Miss Lottie Swallow, by invitation, were received
in the Red Parlor by President and Mrs. Hayes.Songs were sung by the children and solos by Miss Swallow.Mrs. Hayes with her lady guests went out
carriage riding until 5:00 P. M.

5:00 P. M. Special meeting
of the Cabinet.The organization of the Louisiana Commission and its
membership were considered.

Evening.The
President and Mrs. Hayes went out early in the evening and returned to the
White House about 8:30.

8:30 P. M.Numerous
callers were received, including Admiral [John] Rodgers [superintendent, U.S.
Naval Observatory], with ladies; James Q. Howard [author of the campaign
biography of the President, The Life, Public Services and Select Speeches of
Rutherford Birchard Hayes]: General James Thomas; and others.

President Hayes wrote in his
diary; Cabinet meeting full.Decided
to call extra session of Congress June 4 [subsequently changed toOctober].Mr. Evarts will prepare
proclamation.Talked over Commission to
Louisiana.Decided to send Wheeler [who
had served as a member of a Congressional Committee to investigate affairs in
Louisiana in Janurary, 1875], Brown, Hoar, Harlas, and Lawrence.If Wheeler fails, then President [Theodore
Dwight] Woolsey [of Yale University] or Judge David Davis was preferred; but he
[Davis] declined.He [had] advised the
commission.Thought it would do
good.

▪Thursday,
March 22.Morning. – Numerous senators and representatives called, and the
President received by appointment Governor William Dennison and General J. H.
Ketcham, District Commissioners.

10:00-12:30 P. M.Cabinet meeting.Southern problems considered.Secretary of War George W. McCrary was
requested to prepare a complete list of troops in South Carolina and
Louisiana.Members of the Louisiana
Commission tentatively selected and invited to serve.No member of Congress included.

The President’s son,
Rutherford P. Hayes, arrive from Cornell for a visit with his parents.

Several promotions in the
White House staff were made by the President, based upon his civil service
guidelines.

The President removed from
office, Frank Burnett, Inspector of Steamboats, the first removal from office
made by the President.

On the pavement in front of
the east entrance to the White House grounds, a man put up a stand containing
birds, as fortune tellers, for office-seekers calling at the White House.

Mrs. Hayes suffered a sick
headache and received no visitors.

Afternoon.Various
delegations called, and a large crowd pressed in upon the President, to pay
respects.

Accompanied by Senator Oliver
P. Morton, Indiana, the President went for a long carriage drive, and upon
returning received Secretary of Interior Carl Schurz and several other
gentlemen.

Evening.Several
Cabinet officers called and discussed with the President some legal aspects of
the Southern situation.

General W. T. Sherman
escorted Emma Foote, Emily H. Platt, Webb C. Hayes and Rutherford P. Hayes to
the National Theatre to see Mary Anderson in the character of Megg Merrilies in
the play Guy Mannering, based upon Sir Walter Scott’s novel of that name.

Charles M. Hendley, formerly
of the Interior Department, was appointed stenographer at the White House.

10:00-12:30 P. M.Cabinet meeting.The cabinet decided
that letters should be addressed to Governors Wade Hampton and D. H.
Chamberlain, of South Carolina, contending governors, to come to Washington and
confer with the President.A letter was
drafted and mailed over the signature of the President’s private secretary, W.
K. Rogers.

Afternoon.Several
delegations called, including bishops of the African M. E. Church, led by
Professor John M. Langston; and a delegation of black citizens from Richmond,
Virginia, bearing resolutions endorsing the President’s Southern policy.

1:30 P. M.Ex-President
U.S. Grant called at the White House, by special appointment, and took lunch
with the Hayes family.Mrs. Grant was
expected but was ill.The Grants
planned to leave the city for a short visit.While the President was at lunch, L. Q. C. Lamar, Mississippi, called
but did not wait.

After lunch, the President too
a long walk with his secretary, W. K. Rogers.Mrs. Hayes went carriage riding with Emily H. Platt and Webb C. Hayes,
somewhat recovered from her indisposition.

President Hayes noted in his
diary: It is not the duty of the President of the United States to use the
military power of the Nation to decide contested elections in the States.He will maintain the authority of the United
States and keep the peace between the contending parties.But local self-government means the
determination by each State for itself of all questions as to its own local
affairs.

The real thing to be
achieved is safety and prosperity for the colored people.Both houses of Congress and the public
opinion of the country are plainly against the use of the army to uphold either
claimant to the State Government in case of contest.The wish is to restore harmony and good feeling between sections
and races.This can only be done by
peaceful methods.We wish to adjust the
difficulties in Louisiana and South Carolina so as to make one government out
of two in each State.But if this
fails, if no adjustment can be made, we must then adopt the nonintervention
policy, except so far as may be necessary to keep the peace.

▪Saturday,
March 24.Morning. – A large number of callers came to the White House but
the army of office-seekers was not nearly so strong.

The President announced a
number of appointments to office.

Arthur Stem, from Cincinnati,
visitor at the White House, left.

Mrs. Hayes, still ill,
received but a few callers.

10:00-1:00 P. M.Special Cabinet meeting.The
Louisiana Commission discussed, as well as rules and regulations for the
government of civil service.The plan
was to issue a circular letter containing general principles of Civil service,
details to be left to heads of departments.

Afternoon.Many
delegations called, by appointment, including an Irish American delegation;
delegations from Louisiana, Wisconsin, Mississippi, etc.

The President took a carriage
drive with Secretary of Interior Carl Schurz.

3:00-5:00 P. M.Mrs.
Hayes’ Saturday afternoon reception was not held due to her indisposition.

Evening.Among
the callers upon the President was James Speed, Attorney General under Presidents
Lincoln and Johnson, who had a lengthy chat with the chief executive.

President Hayes’ diary: The
number of applications for office made to Mrs. Hayes and other members of the
family is so great that a rule has been adopted that such applications will not
be considered.No person connected with
me by blood or marriage will be appointed to office.

The President and Mrs. Hayes,
Emily H. Platt, Lucy McFarland, Rutherford P. Hayes and Fanny Hayes, walked to
services at the Foundry M.C. Church, and were early in the seats reserved for
them.The pastor, Reverend B. Peyton
Brown, preached.

Mrs. Hayes, still being
somewhat indisposed, admitted but very few callers.

Afternoon.The
President accompanied by Secretary of Treasury John Sherman, Wayne MacVeagh and
Webb Hayes, too a long carriage ride.

President Hayes noted in his
diary: Francis A. Stout [of New York] writes [me, March 22, from Charleston,
S.C.] in favor of [Wade] Hampton from S.C.He says a “benevolent neutrality” is the true course.

▪Monday,
March 26.Morning.– A damp, moist, disagreeable
day, with a fall of rain in the afternoon.

Office seekers continued to
call in large numbers.

The President announced a
number of appointments which he had made.

Among those having interviews
with the President were ex-Governor of New Hampshire, Walter Harriman; Senator
Powell Clayton, Arkansas; and James A. Garfield, who called with Regent John
Bryan Bowman of the University of Kentucky, seeking an office.

10:00-12:00.Cabinet meeting.The matters of
withdrawal of troops from the State Houses in South Carolina and Louisiana, and
the President’s statement that the gravity of the situation required caution
and deliberation, were discussed.

Following the Cabinet
meeting, an army of office-holders as well as a large gathering of individuals,
were admitted to pay respects to the President.Among them were Messrs. J. Alexander Lorimer, James Knox and John
Happy, of Liverpool, England.

3:00 P. M.Accompanied
by his son Rutherford, the President took a long walk.Mrs. Hayes with her guests, Emma Foote,
Emily H. Platt and Lucy McFarland, went out for a drive for the first time
behind the President’s new horses, with Albert Hawkings President Grant’s old
coachman, handling the reins.

William T. (“Billy”) Crump,
former forage master of the 23rd Ohio Regiment under the President,
the Colonel, Hayes, came to the White House.He was having difficulty being accepted by one of the ushers when he was
recognized by Webb Hayes and invited to stay at the White House.Subsequently he became an usher, later,
steward.

Evening.Mrs.
Hayes and the President received numerous social callers.

▪Tuesday,
March 27.Morning. – The usual throng of visitors, office-seekers, senators
and representatives and others called to see the President.Governor D. H. Chamberlain, South Carolina,
came with Senator John J. Patterson; and Senator James G. Blaine had a brief
talk with the President.

An announcement was made of
the President’s appointments to offices in Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Montana,
New Jersey, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

12:00-2:00 P. M.Cabinet meeting.The Cabinet continued
consideration of Southern problems, and membership on the Louisiana
Commission.The two gubernatorial
claimants of South Carolina are to submit their respective statements of claims
to the President and Cabinet, orally or in writing.

▪Thursday,
March 29.Morning. – Office-seekers and other callers at the White House were more numerous
that ever.Unable to see the President,
their cards were left with the doorkeeper of the President’s private
office.

Judge T. J. Mackey, South
Carolina, delivered to the President a letter from Wade Hampton who had arrived
in Washington and was staying at the Willard Hotel.The President responded by sending his Private Secretary W. K.
Rogers to General Hampton, to say that the President would see him at 1:00
o’clock at the White House.

12:00-1:00 P. M.Cabinet Meeting.Principal topic of
discussion was Southern affairs.Personnel for the Louisiana Commission was decided upon and announced as
follows: Judge C. B. Lawrence, of Illinois; Joseph R. Hawley, of Connecticut;
Ex-Governor John C. Brown, of Tennessee; Wayne MacVeigh, of Pennsylvania; John M.
Harlan, of Kentucky, with Judge Lawrence as chairman.The Commission consisted of four Republicans and one Democrat.

1:00 P. M.General
Wade Hampton arrived in company with Senator John B. Gordon, Georgia, and
Attorney General James Connor, of South Carolina, and were received by the
President.Following some conversation,
the partyentered the private apartment of the President’s, to have
luncheon and to discuss the South Carolina problems.The President did not commit himself.

2:30 P. M.James
A. Garfield called to see the President.He wrote in his diary: Found him [the President] closeted with Wade
Hampton on the South Carolina question.Had a long conversation with his private secretary Rogers and also with
Capt. [Alfred E.] Lee, for many years Private Secretary to Governor Hayes.

Afternoon.Delegations
received by the President included one of Quakers from Philadelphia and another
representing the Charleston, S. C. Chamber of Commerce.After which, the President went out for a
carriage ride.

8:00 P. M.Governor
D. H. Chamberlain called, by appointment, and found Carl Schurz with the
President.The President informed
Governor Chamberlain that, although he had had an extended talk with General
Hampton, it would be necessary to have further consultations with him before he
could arrive at any conclusions regarding a compromise or agreement.

▪Friday,
March 30.Morning. – Senators and Representatives and others came in
considerable numbers; many were received by the President.Miss M. W. Greenwell, grandniece of George
Washington, visited briefly.

Public office appointments
were announced by the President’s office.

Later in the morning, the
President came into the hall and held a general hand-shaking with callers whom
he was unable to see privately.

11:30 A. M.Various
delegations, one form Arkansas and another consisting of black citizens from
Alexandria, Virginia, had audiences.

12:00-3:00 P. M.Cabinet meeting.The cabinet reviewed
the conversations which the President had had with General Wade Hampton.A careful estimate was made of all statements
made by the President to both General Hampton and Governor Chamberlain.Most of the Cabinet members favored a
withdrawal of troops from the South Carolina State House soon but not
immediately.

Luncheon.Guests
at luncheon with the President were Joseph R. Hawley and John M. Harlan, of the
Louisiana Commission.The letter of
instructions to the Commission from the Secretary of State and the Cabinet
would be made public on April 3, and on the morning of of the 3rd,
the Commission would depart for Louisiana.Following the luncheon, the President took the guests for a carriage
ride.

Evening: As usual, Mrs. Hayes received numerous social callers.

▪Saturday,
March 31.Morning.– The White House appeared
deserted; no visitors at all.

9:45 A. M.The
President and Mrs. Hayes and family went out to the Arsenal grounds where they
were received by a 21 gun salute.The
program included a review of the troops, followed by a skirmish demonstration,
after which the participants were introduced to the President, the Secretary of
War and others, and then released to their quarters.This was followed by a demonstration of the Gatling Gun and a
walk through the grounds, with a brief stop at General William H. French’s
headquarters.

11:00 A. M.The
President received General Wade Hampton for a long conference.Immediately after the conference, General
Hampton wrote a letter to the President setting forth his guarantees for
preserving order in South Carolina, once the troops had been withdrawn from the
State House.

12:00.Cabinet meeting.The South Carolina
question was carefully reviewed.Result
of the deliberations was that the U.S. troops would be withdrawn from the State
House at Columbia but not from the State.Troops would remain in the State as a guarantee that both civil and
political rights of citizens would be maintained.Copies of this decision would be furnished both General Hampton
and Governor Chamberlain. [The President’s order to the Secretary of War for
withdrawing the troops from the ColumbiaState House, thus formally
ending Reconstruction in South Carolina, would be issued on Tuesday, April 3,
1977.]

James A. Garfield wrote in
his diary this day: . . . .I drove with Gen. [S. C.] Boynton to the Arsenal
Grounds to witness the review of the Artillery under Gen. [William H.]
French.The President and his family,
the Secy of War and General Sherman were present.The weather was fine and the troops maneuvered well.Returned at 11 o’clock. . . .Called at the
President’s but found him engaged with Wade Hampton.Had a long talk with [W. K.] Rogers, his private secretary, in
regard to the Southern policy.

Appointments and commissions
made by the President during the day were announced.

3:00-5:00 P. M.Mrs.
Hayes did not hold Saturday afternoon public reception this day.

▪Sunday,
April 1, 1877.Easter Sunday.Morning.7:00 A. M.– Stanley
Matthews, Senator-elect from Ohio, just arrived in Washington, called on the
President who was up to receive him.He
stayed for breakfast.

The President, accompanied by
Emma Foote, attended Foundry M. C. Church.Mrs. Hayes was not feeling well.Emily Platt and John W. Andrews, Jr., White House guests, went to the
Church of the Epiphany.At the Foundry,
as there was difficulty seating all persons present, President Hayes invited several
strangers to occupy seats in his pew.

Afternoon.Accompanied
by ex-Secretary of the Interior Zachariah Chandler, Secretary of Treasury John
Sherman and Webb Hayes, the President took a long carriage ride.Their ride, was along the line of the Washington
aqueduct, going as far as the “union arch,” then better known as the “Cabin
John Bridge.”

Mrs. Hayes, with John W.
Andrews, Jr., and her children Fanny and Scott, also went out for a carriage
ride.